Well, not quite............but this is what happens when you plant Boston Ivy (Pathenocissus tricuspidata) and forget to prune it. This house, in the centre of Allendale in Northumberland (see http://www.northumberland-cam.com/allendale/), makes a stunning impact when its cloak of foliage changes colour in early autumn. This rampant climber scales walls using sticky pads on the tips of tendrils, which glue it to the wall surface. Recent research in China suggests that this adhasive ability and rapid growth might make this a useful plant for stabilising unstable rock surfaces, like the faces of abandoned quarries.
The name Boston ivy relates to its use to cover buildings in that state, not to its geographical origin which is eastern Asia.
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